Pence visits Jewish cemetery that was vandalized

“We condemn this vile act of vandalism and those that perpetrate it in the strongest possible terms,” Pence, a Christian, said on behalf of the Trump administration. “I spoke words earlier today in St. Louis that were from the heart. There is no place in America for hatred or acts of prejudice or violence or anti-Semitism.”

On Monday, at least 170 headstones were knocked over and one or more suspects vandalized the property with anti-Semitic messages, according to the latest report accounting for damages. In the two days since the incident, all of the tombstones have been repaired.

Pence toured the grounds with Republican Gov. Eric Greitens as part of a planned community clean-up event. The two cleared brush in one part of the cemetery after Pence made a public statement from the bed of a pickup truck.

“I must tell you the people of Missouri are inspiring the nation by your love and care for this place, for the Jewish community in Missouri and I wanna thank you for that inspiration, for showing the world what America is all about,” Pence said.

The vice president privately prayed with a rabbi before leaving.

A crowdfunding page that was organized by the Muslim community has received more than 3,000 donations and raised $91,000 for the repairs. Launch Good’s site states that the original $20,000 goal of the “Muslims Unite to Repair Jewish Cemetery” was met just three hours into the project’s commencement.

The cemetery incident comes after a week of allegations that President Trump is anti-Semitic. Trump, whose son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter, Ivanka, are both Jewish, hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House last week and has denied the charge.

Pence was in the Midwest on Wednesday to meet with officials at the Fabick Cat plant in Missouri.

Pence is slated to speak at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual gathering in Las Vegas at the end of this week.